Cesc Fabregas speaks out on Chelsea’s penalty fiasco as he warns arguments over who takes spot-kicks can cause ‘bad vibes’ in the dressing room – and recalls being at the centre of a similar row
- The Arsenal and Chelsea icon was furious about the penalty incident among Blues stars
- Chelsea players publicly bickered over who would take a penalty on Monday
- Chelsea are a ‘CESSPIT of inflated egos’… will Pochettino turn bickering youngsters into a harmonious team? Listen to the It’s all Kicking Off podcast
Cesc Fabregas has claimed that penalty chaos, such as Chelsea team-mate’s clash against Everton on Monday, can create a ‘bad atmosphere’ in the dressing room.
Chelsea beat the struggling Toffees team 6-0 as Cole Palmer scored four goals to move level with Erling Haaland on 20 in the Premier League’s golden boot race, but the argument for a penalty dominated the discussions after the match.
Fabregas watched the ugly scene unfold between Chelsea players Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson before Palmer took control of the situation and fired past Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford from the spot.
The former Arsenal and Chelsea Premier League winner was furious at the public display of chaos at Stamford Bridge and insisted he ‘hated’ watching the scene unfold.
Fabregas compared his past experiences at Euro 2016, when Sergio Ramos took the ball from him before losing to Croatia, to the incident between Chelsea teammates.
Cesc Fabregas has taken credit for penalty shootout chaos like Chelsea teammate’s clash against Everton on Monday, which creates a ‘bad atmosphere’
Chelsea players Nicolas Jackson (right) and Noni Madueke (left) argued over who would take the penalty
Cole Palmer eventually took control of the situation before scoring the resulting penalty
“I had a similar experience at the 2016 European Championship in Spain against Croatia,” he said on the BBC’s Planet Premier League podcast.
‘I was about to kick the penalty, 2-1 for us, and someone came from behind and said: ‘I want to take it’.
‘I said, ‘No, I’m the penalty taker.’ I hate seeing things like this. I think it creates such a bad atmosphere. I just gave up and I didn’t want to be part of something so ugly.
“We ended up missing it and then we lost the game,” he added.
Ramos’ missed penalty ultimately cost Spain top spot in their group at the European Championship, as Croatia won 2-1, meaning they had to play Italy in the last 16 of the competition.
Fabregas recalled a similar situation with Spanish legend Sergio Ramos at the 2016 European Championship
Fabregas was annoyed after Ramos took the ball from him for a penalty against Croatia
They were ultimately dropped from the competition by Italy at the time and Fabregas apparently still harbors a grudge over the incident.
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino was also disgusted by the bickering between his players but admitted the squad have ‘moved on’ before they take on Man City in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday.
‘I made that clear after the match. We met with all the players, staff and sporting directors,” he said.
“I explained my feelings and conveyed a clear message that I delivered in my media and press conference. We move on and I think they understood the situation.”
